Monday, December 3, 2012

Did Tamara Ecclestone Snatch Up Fleur de Lys?

For the last several days Your Mama's inbox has been deluged with breathless queries from curious folks who want to know if unfathomably pampered 28-year old British heiress and globe-trotting socialite Tamara Ecclestone really bought Fleur de Lys, the internationally renown and ridiculously conspicuous 12 bedroom and 15 bathroom French chateau style pile in Los Angeles's hoity toity Holmby Hills 'hood owned by wildly wealthy haute couture clad divorcée Suzanne Saperstein and listed since 2006 with a pie in the sky $125,000,000 asking price.

She did not, at least not according to property records and as far as any of Your Mama's better connected canaries deep inside the Platinum Triangle real estate game know.

The flood of requests for clarification re: the possible sale of Fleur de Lys to Tamara Ecclestone stem from a loquacious report late last week in the British tabloid The Daily Mail that stated the high-heeled, well-heeled, and newly single Miss
Ecclestone—she recently booted her man-friend after she discovered he made sordid amateur sex video with another woman—"plans to rent the lavish property before buying it." For be if for Your Mama to slice hairs but planning to rent and/or buy is not the same thing as actually renting and/or buying. We plan to fit into our size 30 waist APC jeans one day but that does not mean we actually will. right?

While it's quite possible, of course, that Tamara may have arranged to lease the grandiose 4.25-plus acre estate, which would most certainly make a magnificent backdrop for her shockingly shallow reality program Billion $$ Girl, but Your Mama finds it almost unfathomable that she would cough up tens upon tens of millions of dollars for her sister's real estate sloppy seconds. Stranger things have happened but this snarky and cynical real estate gossip is not holding our boozy breath.

Interestingly, The Daily Mail printed and posted loads of photographs of the screamingly opulent Fleur de Lys all done up in a style Marie Antoinette might swoon over but everyone in Los Angeles who knows anything at all about the highest of the high-end properties currently on the market well knows that while the liberally gilded and heavily ornamented architecture remains intact Miz Saperstein recently had much if not all of her ludicrously expensive and finely pedigreed Frenchy frou-frou furnishings replaced with much more clean lined, comfortable and contemporary day-core.

Back in London, Tamara owns an historic 16,000 square foot mansion in the ultra-exclusive and hyper-secure Kensington Palace Gardens that she bought last year for about $70,000,000. Renovations will cost another $20-30 million add another 4,000 square feet, according to reports, and include a two level basement with indoor pool, nightclub and bowling alley. The multi-room master suite was designed, so the stories go, with separate cocktail and Champagne bars because, well, why not? Her new, across the street neighbors will be Prince William and the newly preggers Duchess Catherine but we can't imagine they'll be borrowing much sugar from each other.

*We can't confirm it, of course, but several sources have told Your Mama that Miz Saperstein turned down
an $80 million offer by Petra just as several years ago—so the stories
go—she also rebuffed at least one other offer of $100 million. If either of those gossip nuggets are true, she had to be kicking herself in her perfectly tailored real estate pants.

Fluer de Lys better than The Manor?Sorry dear. I will have to disagree.The Manor is a home. Mammoth yes, but still a home. Fluer de Lys is a crass, opulant pile of a trophy property that was built for show.Many mega mansions are being bought left right and centre, but Fluer de Lys remains the white elephant of all white elephants.

Hadid's new Hillcrest mansion? Do you maybe mean the one on Crescent listed at 58? Did I miss something?

I am living for the comment above about how The Manor, all 27 bathrooms and 56000 square feet of it, is a "home" but Fleur de Lys is "a crass, opulant pile of a trophy property that was built for show"

Funny, I always found both to be "a crass, opulant pile of a trophy property that was built for show"

Rumor has it that Tamara is livid about not finding a bigger house than the Manor in LA. She's planning to lay siege to Petra's palace starting Christmas Eve with a hired 500-man army comprised of gay male strippers from West Hollywood. Some of her generals include Robbie Williams, Tom Cruise, and that old lesbian Madame Elton John. There have been scattered sightings of her growing powerpuff army in every corner of Holmby Hills. 'Tis true.

While I have not been in the Manor I have been in Fleur de Lys numerous times as Ms. Saperstein has hosted lovely gay galas for the Trevor Project and I most recently I was there for the new Range Rover Unveiling. First the house is amazing (Yes she rents it out by the night for Parties),and beyond tasteful, an architectural delight, a nod to another era...yet modernized for today's luxury life that the madam leads. The bones are amazing and yes with Ms. S new modern furniture delights it is heaven. Fleur de Lys may be smaller but far more substantial on merit, and nod to historic greatness.

Like having hot hay sex, once you have had it you crave it.. once you enter Fleur de Lys your life is changed nothing again will measure up to this heavenly pile.

no way in hell would tamara buy hadids place on sunset. I could see her buying sapersteins because it would one up her sister. its not petras sloppy seconds, petra wanted fleur de lys much more than the manor,but suzzane saperstein was the one who acted like an idiot and you dont scorn a billionairess so she walked away on principle, id do the same thing.

The facade of Fleur de Lys inspires the Rabbi to go to her happy place. It reminds her of the Clampett Beverly Hillbillies home prior to its most unfortunate remuddling, which rendered it unrecognizable.

Concerning that pesky feng shui death arrow, the Rabbi suggests installing a traffic circle halfway up the drive, similar to those in New Jersey on the way to the seashore. Center a birdbath in the circle; ornithologic aviation patterns will disseminate and neutralize the arrow energy. Surround the birdbath with roses, the flowers of love. No idolatrous nymphs need support the birdbath, thank you very much, only a classic column, please. Remove hardscaping immediately adjacent to the house and replace with landscaping, or a terrace if ambitious. (Maybe a porte cochere? Just kidding.) Place potted jade plants on each side of the entry to enhance income and its management. Use urns similar to those of the South Parterre of Versailles; i.e., the royal estate in France and not Florida, or planter boxes similar to those of the Orangery. Hang little feng shui mirrors, concave to be nice to the neighbors, on each of the front doors, to enable guests to reapply make-up before entering.

The rear elevation of Fleur de Lys has proportions similar to the West Facade of Versailles, again the palace in France and not Florida. With a little kabbalistic hocus pocus (the Rabbi is a descendant of Rabbi Yehudah Lowe, Maharal of Prague and creator of the golem), Fleur de Lys could be declared kosher, albeit a smidge large for the Rabbi's modest requirements.

Always a delight to read these most interesting posts by Rabbi Hedda. But I am intrigued – how would you replace the hardscaping and not endanger those five windows on the ground floor? You would plant what?

Always a delight to read these most interesting posts by Rabbi Hedda. But I am intrigued – how would you replace the hardscaping and not endanger those five windows on the ground floor? You would plant what?

It's much better than the Manor, though still wildly ostentatious. I agree with the Rabbi about the need to replace some of the hardscaping - that huge expanse of concrete makes the place look exactly like a museum or an enormous mausoleum.

Comparing Fleur de Lys with The Manor is truly an apples & oranges prospect; the architecture of Fleur de Lys is not historically accurate, but rather an homage to the "let them eat cake" school of French design. It almost shows restraint...almost.

On the other hand, The Manor is just a bloated mass, size for its own sake -- one could hardly use the term "architecture" in the same breath unless it was followed immediately by a snigger. And let us not forget the former Bing Crosby home was demolished for this.

Both structures are monuments to the most wretched of excesses.

LGB never really concerned himself with feng shui as a child, after all, there's barely enough room to swing a cat, let alone an arrow of death, on a 50' x 100' foot lot.

;-)

Anyway, on a scale like this, a long, curving drive is kinda beside the point; I'd reorient the gate to line up with the covered passageway to the rear parking court and have the entrance come in on the north side of the entry court, parallel to the facade. A nice, stepped fountain with staircase could be placed where the current drive enters the courtyard to complete a vista across the property, much like this:

There existed a French "let them eat cake" school of architecture? I got that line to mean that there existed French architects (French school of design) who built humongous, wretchedly awful ("let them eat cake", let them see what I can build and how much money I have) manors and castles? I thought the French were always associated with refinement and elegance.

Whatever happened to the architect of the Manor? Was he a futurist that had something to do with one part of the LAX? Or perhaps just they have the same name.

Did you all see the model of the house as it was supposed to be? It kind of looked Colonial in that reality show in which Candy starred about her moving out and not at all French.

I'd reorient the gate to line up with the covered passageway to the rear parking court and have the entrance come in on the north side of the entry court, parallel to the facade.

I'm not sure I can picture this. That is, I do not know what goes where. The house spreads in the NE - SW direction and the current gate is almost in the east of the property. I guess no facade, all four sides of it, aren't looking to the north exactly.

Oh, wait, there are two gates. One for the entry to the property and the other for the entry to the front court. So that one would have to be demolished and you would have the road go straight to that semicircular thing above the roofed passageway.

But I guess I don't know how it would be parallel to the facade and be on the N side.

I was referring to the main gate off Angelo Drive (NNE -- the entry to the property); the long, sinuous drive seems like overkill to me. I'd rather reclaim it for the outdoor living space CA is so envied for.

As for period architects, the only one I care for on the East Coast is Oliver Cope.

Anon. 10:29 a.m., if Fleur de Lys was an east coast home, the Rabbi would underplant a three season flowering ground cover, perhaps vinca, with a spring bulb display; tulips would be appropriately formal. The Rabbi isn't as familiar with left coast flora; however, she'd suggest a similar low-growing design to prevent competition with the windows. LGB, Hedda appreciates a gezunte portion of the Oliver Cope residences. It appears that Mama already has a new property to critique!

This ain't the type a place I normally hang, but I was Googlin' "Easy Women" an that led me to this Tamara and that led me here. She ain't all that bad and her site has good pics of her in underwear and black boots.

This bein' a housin' place I felt the need talk about the place, but skip all the needless talk about day-kor, etc. The joint has the basics: kitchen, pooper and bedroom. The rest just don't matter. Like they say, "if you don't mind, it don't matter".

Now, what do matter is convenience and I done think Miss Tamara will agree. This place looks good to me. The nearest check cashin' place is only 2.9 miles, liquor store 1.7 miles, Pep Boys 2.7 miles. The Dodge dealer (like them little ads a poppin' up all over your site) is only 2.6 miles so oil changes for my diesel Ram 4X4 is a snap! Adult movies and books can be had by only goin' 1.7 miles. Further, they's a body waxin' place that's also only 1.7 miles from the house - walkin' distance! (Be great if they was in the same strip mall) This do "matter" cuz I mind: No man like a hairy woman!

Weirdly, Rabbi Hedda didn't have a problem with the tetrastyle covering only the first floor and not going all the way up!

Such a weird residence. Even though it has this glow about it, perhaps because of that limestone, it still looks like a simple pavilion or a stable at a village chateau somewhere in France. The landscaping is too sterile and involves a lot of assumptions as to what something like this is supposed to look and not really a whole lot of enthusiasm and inspiration.

The Rabbi has no difficulty with the single-story portico. Versailles has several along its noble level, and many homes, European, early-American, colonial revival, and Greek revival, include single-story porticoes as well. She concurs that the landscaping and Fleur de Lys home itself share a sterile quality, and she would never, ever be able to feel comfortable in this home.

The previous poster is 100% correct that Fleur de Lys is a bazillion times better than that pile The Manor.

Candy's "manor" was only ever a very large house, with very large rooms that were dry-walled like any nice suburban home. (tho candy obviously liked patches of flocked wall decoration which was HIlarious

Tamara is trying to close on buying Saperstein's Fleur de Lys, but Ms. Saperstein is acting like a big diva once again. Unlike Petra, Tamara's not putting her foot down and there's a lot of back-and-forth drama going on. Ms. Saperstein previously demanded that Petra pay for the movers, even when Petra offered $100 million in cash. Ms. Saperstein decided that the $25 million short would be in exchange for her antique 18th century French furniture. Therefore, not only was Miss Diva demanding that Petra pay for the movers, but she also wanted to take the furniture along with her. Even though Petra never cared for the fluffy furniture, she planned on selling the furniture to antique dealers. Petra took the high road; and she deemed that stooping down to passive-aggressive Ms. Saperstein's requests proved troublesome. It seems like Ms. Saperstein has finally learned the lesson.

Tamara is not interested in any other property but Fleur de Flys. It's not really about sibling rivalry or one-upping her sister. In addition, whoever said that Tamara is eyeing Petra's sloppy seconds is ridiculous. Petra's #1 property choice was Fleur de Lys all along. Tamara's coming to LA today (December 5) to close on the property and meet Ms. Saperstein in the flesh.

What's wrong with Ms. Saperstein requiring that whomever wants to buy Fleur de Lys be able to afford to pay for the movers as well as the estate? The Ecclestones need to stop bitchin' about not convincing Saperstein to lower her price and figure out how to raise the ca$h needed to pay the $125 million. Why does Saperstein have to lower her price at all? It's not Saperstein's fault she's out of Ecclestone's league. Period.

Come up with the cash or work out a deal to compensate Saperstein for her outstanding estate.

I'm hoping someone, anyone, will snatch up this steaming pile of s*** soon so that it can finally be bulldozed and replaced with something with taste. It's just a scar on the face of the Earth. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.